Tuna omelet
The idea for this omelet came from Joel Robuchon’s book on his Sunday menus (Les Dimanches de Joel Robuchon); the famed French chef is known for his classic, down-to-earth cuisine and this one was entitled omelette du prêtre or priest omelet. It is a perfect solution when you have just...
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Cauliflower fritters
I found this recipe in a cookbook I bought recently while in Kurdistan (Iraq); the cookbook was in Arabic and featured the recipes of a very popular TV cooking chef personality in the Arab world, Mrs Manal el-Alem. It took reading a few recipes until I realized the book had...
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Yerba mate ceremony
This past Sunday, I was invited to drink mate at a lovely sheikha‘s house in the Chouf mountains. Mate is a green herb popular and traditional in Argentina and other parts of South America; the Druze community in Lebanon has imported yerba maté into their villages in the...
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Pickled green almonds
It is green almond time (Spring) and our trees are loaded. Everywhere markets are displaying these velvety green almonds that folks love to eat whole dipped in salt; super crunchy and a natural laxative. The almonds need to ripen on their mother (an expression from a farmer I talked...
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Dried lime tea (Chai noomi Basra)
This infusion is popular in Iraq; it is made by seeding the noomi Basra or dried limes and simmering the peels in water for 15 to 30 minutes; drain and sweeten. Apparently it helps with tummy aches and digestive issues. I did not have the patience of seeding the...
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Herbs stew (Khoresh-e qormeh sabzi)
I was in Erbil, Kurdistan (Iraq) for a few days recently; I visited the Bazaar in front of the old Citadel, of course, and neighborhood markets; I noticed that the vast majority of dry goods were imported from Turkey; in addition, there were a few items from Iran and I...
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Chicken biryani
The recipe for this dish was generously given to me by a (lady) chef who works for an NGO here in Beirut; biryanis (various versions of the original Indian biryanis) are popular in Iraq and in the Gulf countries where they are considered an important part of the local...
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Shawarma in kibbeh (Akrass al-kibbeh bel-shawarma)
Kibbeh is ubiquitous here; not only is it Lebanon’s national dish but it would be unthinkable to lay down a mezze table without having a plate of small appetizer-size kibbeh balls. The idea to split the kibbeh open and stuff them with sweet things comes from Aleppo (Syria); kibbeh...
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Maamoul
Ma’amoul are the holiday cookie par excellence in this part of the world; every family has the designated maamoul maker and in mine we luckily had a grandmother who would make them and decorate them by hand. I have already posted both recipes and a video-clip on how to make...
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